Job Description

About NYLAG

Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. NYLAG’s staff of 350 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.

Job description

The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) seeks a highly motivated bilingual Staff Attorney for a full-time position with our Pro Se Plus Project (PSPP) team, a collaborative of legal service providers and community-based organizations that was developed to respond to the needs of newly arrived asylum seekers. PSPP teaches asylum seekers how to represent themselves through community education, “friend of court” appearances, and advocate trainings and helps protect their due process rights through robust pro se assistance in removal defense, asylum, appeals, and other relief.

The job requires substantive knowledge and experience working with asylum-seeking families and children in removal proceedings, with a variety of defenses from removal including Asylum, Withholding of Removal, protection under the Convention Against Torture, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), labor-based deferred action, T Visas, and U Visas. Admission to the New York Bar and experience representing asylum seekers is strongly preferred. Candidates will have a proactive ability to solve problems under time pressure, a strong commitment to clients, and a background in trauma-informed advocacy. The Staff Attorney will work within the Immigrant Protection Unit at NYLAG under the supervision of PSPP’s Supervising Attorney. As part of this position, this Staff Attorney will work in collaboration with PSPP’s coordinating senior attorney on-site at New York City’s immigration courts to support pro se community members appearing for hearings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and check-ins with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Staff Attorney will provide advice and counsel, appear as friend of the court where allowed, and provide post-detention support for pro se community members and their families if detained, as part of PSPP’s court advocacy.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Staff Attorney’s responsibilities will include:

• Observe immigration in-person court hearings at NYC’s immigration courts at least 1-2 days per week and support pro se noncitizens appearing for their hearings by providing intakes and advice and counsel, appearing as friend of the court where allowed;
• Providing resources and post-detention assistance for detained individuals and their families;
• Conduct legal screenings for pro se noncitizens that come through NYLAG’s community-based sites, immigration court, and PSPP intake hotline;
• Prepare and file pro se applications for asylum and employment authorization, motions to change venue, opposition response to motions to pretermit, evidence filings, motions to reopen, and other supporting documents and motions for submission to USCIS and the Immigration Court;
• Assist with planning, coordinating, and executing in-person pro se screening and application assistance clinics;
• Participate in meetings and serve as a liaison to PSPP partner organizations and other external stakeholders;
• Collaborate with community-based organizations who volunteer in NYC’s immigration courts;
• Represent a small number of non-detained New York City residents mostly in family units, in removal proceedings before EOIR and/or USCIS;
• Track client cases, progress of applications, and follow up for funding purposes;
• Attend screening clinics, Know Your Rights presentations, pro se application clinics, and other types of outreach events; and
• Perform other various duties, including giving general consults, advice, trainings, and mentoring of volunteers and pro bono.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited school.
• Admission to the New York State bar is required.
• Fluency in a second language is required, Spanish or French preferred.
• Minimum 1 year of experience working with asylum seekers required.
• Excellent writing, speaking and organizational skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with clients, community organizations, law enforcement, attorneys, judiciary and the public.
• Experience working with survivors of trauma and the intersection of international law and immigration law.
• Ability to work in a collaborative setting with other professionals.
• Demonstrated commitment to immigrant rights, criminal justice, and/or social justice issues.
• Ability to work independently and under pressure while managing multiple competing deadlines.
• Ability to make creative arguments for complicated cases and cases that do not have a clear path to relief.
• Ability to set expectations for clients who are not eligible for any relief while nonetheless providing competent representation before the Immigration Court.

NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.

Employment type:

☒ Full-time

Professional Level:

☒ Professional

Salary Range:

NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. The current salary range for this position is between $90,262- $100,532.

Benefits:

Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.

Application Instructions:

Please save resume and cover letter on one pdf.

Covid Vaccination Policy:

Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.

NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.